The World's Bestselling Rum Brand Is Filipino and It's Not Even Close

Tanduay Rum bested all others to claim the top spot of The Spirits Business ranking of the top 10 bestselling rums in the world. 

The rum business of tycoon Lucio Tan’s LT Group sold 27.4 million nine-liter cases in 2022, up 16.1 percent from the 23.6 million cases the brand sold in 2021.

For comparison, the world’s No. 2 rum brand, Bacardi, sold 23.6 million cases, including the brands in its ready-to-drink portfolio, in 2022. That means Tanduay sold nearly four million cases more than its closest rival.

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In a release, Tanduay attributed the brand’s robust growth to its aggressive international expansion, the rise of cocktail culture, and its diverse product offerings.

“It gives us great pride to see our very own Philippine rum brand not just among the top ten, but rank first in this competitive category,” said Tanduay international business development manager and senior brand manager Marc Ngo.

Besides its home country of the Philippines, Tanduay is present in 18 international markets as of July 2023. The brand has partnered with leading international spirits distributors to make its products available in different counties and it has tapped leading bartenders to help promote the brand. In the United Kingdom, for example, Tanduay signed up bartending veteran Jay Rivera as its brand ambassador. 

In addition, Tanduay has also opened branded bars at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Footprint Center in Phoenix, and Target Center in Minnesota. The brand has existing partnerships with each of the cities’ National Basketball Association (NBA) teams—the Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, and Minnesota Timberwolves, making it the only Philippine brand to have established partnerships with leading NBA teams.

Tanduay is currently led by Lucio Tan III, a grandson of LT founder Lucio Tan, as its president and COO. Tan III is also vice chairman and COO of the LT Group and holds multiple other positions within the conglomerate.